Alex Dunne takes his first win of the season as Rodin dominates in Baku
Dunne Dominates as Rodin Motorsport Lock Out Baku Podium
Alex Dunne delivered a commanding performance in the first Feature Race of the weekend in Baku, converting his pole position into a clinical victory. The Rodin Motorsport driver maintained total control from lights out, continuing a highly impressive weekend on the streets of Azerbaijan.
The race saw a Rodin 1-2 finish, with teammate Martinius Stenshorne securing second place. Completing the podium was Dino Beganovic, who added a third-place finish to his Sprint Race victory earlier in the weekend.
Rodin's Front-Row Dominance and Early Action
Following an exceptional qualifying session, Rodin Motorsport occupied the front row. Dunne successfully defended his lead into Turn 1 at the start, while Stenshorne managed to repel an early challenge from Noel Leon to hold second.
The grid was slightly depleted, featuring only 21 cars after Sebastian Montoya was unable to participate following a mistake on the reconnaissance lap. Early in the race, championship rivals saw movement; both Rafael Camara and Nikola Tsolov gained two positions each, moving into fourth and eighth respectively. However, Tsolov's race was marred by misfortune, including an unsuccessful overtake attempt on Kush Maini and a pit error by the Campos team that saw him drop to 18th.
Chaos and Red Flags in the Streets
The race was punctuated by high tension and incidents. A safety car was deployed on Lap 8 after Mari Boya suffered a lockup into Turn 1. While racing resumed on Lap 12, the field faced significant disruption in Turn 3. A massive pileup involving Cian Shields, John Bennett, Laurens Van Hoepen, Rafael Villagomez, Joshua Durksen, Rimoto Miyata, and Tsolov brought out a red flag, momentarily halting the session.
As the race resumed under safety car conditions, the battle for the lead intensified. After the restart, Oliver Goethe held the lead, but Dunne proved too strong. With 10 minutes remaining, Dunne made his decisive move on Goethe to reclaim the top spot.
Championship Implications
While Dunne cruised to victory, securing the fastest lap and a nearly four-second margin, the battle for the remaining points remained fierce. Stenshorne moved into podium contention by overtaking Beganovic, though Goethe eventually had to pit due to tire damage following a lockup.
In a dramatic final sprint to the finish line, Rafael Camara managed to overtake Noel Leon to claim fourth place. This result is crucial for the title fight, as Camara moves into the championship lead with 182 points.
The 2026 Formula 2 championship action continues on Saturday at 9:00AM CEST with Feature Race 2.
Simone Scanu
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.